5 6 OECHIDS OP THE SIKKIM-IIISIALAYA.
nerved, elliptic-ovate, acute, slightly nai-rowed to tho base, sub-terminal; length 4 to 7
in., breadth l-3o io 2 in. Racemes from the upper nodes either of tiie leafy or leafless
stems, pendulous, 8- to 10-flowered, crowded, 3 or -i u\. long. Flomn -75 to 1 in.
in diaureter; Jloral bract minute. Sepals oblong, sub-ncute. Fetah broader, concave,
obtuse. Lip sub-orbicular (wlien spread out) with a cuueate base and a short claw,
concave, the apes irregularly and minutely lobed or aub-entire and emarginate, its
upper surface smooth in the uuddle, with some radiating deeply-coloured strice near the
base, the anterior part with a broad pubescent belt round the edge. Column short
and broad, with a transverse concavity near its lower end. Mantum very short,
blunt. Anther conical; poliinia narrow, elongate. Bot. Mag., t. 6962; Veitch Man,
Dendrob. 76; Rolfe ia Gard. Chron. 1887, I, 607; Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. V, 749.
Sikkim; common in tropical valleys; Pantling No. 138; in Hower during April
and May. Khasia Hills, Assam.
The sepals and petals are of rather a dingy yellow, with lines of a dai-ker shade.
The lip is orange-yellow witli two patches of brown nerves near the base. All the
colours are dingy and the flowers are not attractive.
Pi.ATE l^.—Dendrolium sulcatum, Lindl. A plaat, of natural sue. Fig. 1 n, flower, 2 lip.
3 cohmn and its foot, the aatlier in iUii, 4 the anther, seen from the side, 5 poUiuia; ai/
enlargtd.
26. Dendkobium desstflokum, "Wall. Cat. 2000.
Stems clavate, terete or obscurely 4-angled, erect, slightly swollen at the nodes,
]2 to 18 in. long. Leaves coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolatc, collected near
tiie apex of the stem, acute, slightly narrowed to the base; length 4 to 6 in.,
breadth 1 to 2 in. Racemes 6 to 10 in. long, pendulous, with many densely crowded
flowers; the peduncle stout, short, with large sheathing bracts at its base. Flowers
membranous in textui-e, 1 to I'o in. across ; floral bract very large, oblong, nerved,
membranous, covermg the bud, revoluta. Sepals ovate-elliptic, obtuse, concave. PetaU
broader than the sepals, ovate-orbicular, tl.e edge sHghtly erose. Up orbicular-rhomboid,
convolute in its basal half, the apical half spreading, the whole of the upper
surface pubescent, the edges slightly revoluto and shortly fimbriate, the base abruptly
narrowed lo a short straight claw. OAumn broad, with a concavity at its base.
Mentum lar<^e, sub-globose. Anther comcaX-, poliinia elongate. Cuptuk fusiform, 1-75 to
3'25 in. long. Lindl. in Wall. PI. As. Rar. I, 34, t. 40; Gen. and Spec. Orch., 90;
Bot Keo- t° 1828; in Journ. Linn. Soc. IIÍ, 7; Paxt. , Mag. Bot. V, t. 121; Bot.
Mag t°3418- Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. V, 748; Fl. des Serres, t. 1397; Veitch Man.
Dendrob 80, with Jig. D. thyniflorum, Reichb. fil. in 111. Hortic. XXII. t. 2U7; Veitch
Man. Dendrob. SO, with jig.-, Gard. Chron. 1S77, I; 653, fig. 105. Epuhndnmi Dwmalta,
Herb. Uenn. We Hooker).
Sikkim; common in tropical valleys, ascending to 4,000 feet; Pantlmg No. 119;
in flower during April and May. AVestward to Nepal and eastward to the Ivliasia
Hills ; also in the Mil ranges of Burmah.
The sepals and petals of this beautiful species, as it occurs m bikkim, are invariably
of a pale yellow, the lip being of a rich orange-yellow colour, paler towards
t h e margins. The unexpanded racemes havo a curious cone-like appeaiaoce, which
DENDHOBIUM. 5 7
occurs in no other Dendrohium. This is caused by the flower-buds being completely
enveloped in and concealed by the large imbricate dolicate yellow floral bracts.
There is considerable variation in other provinces in the size of the flowers and in
their colouring; and this has given origin to several varietal names, such as alho-lulca,
Schrcederi and Walkeriana. The most notable variety is the one which was separated
as a species by Reichenbach under the name D. thyrsiflorum. The structure of the
flowers in that form is, however, exactly that of typical D. densiflorum; but the sepals,
instead of being pale yellow, are white sufEused with pale lilac, the lip being yellow
as usual. D. ihyrsiflonm has also more slender stems, and tho floral bracts are much
narrower than in typical D. densiflorum.
P l a t e 79.—Bendrobium densiflorum, Wall PloweriEg plant, of natural iize. Fig. ] base of the
lip showing tho elaw, 2 eolama aud its foot, the autber in situ, 3 a pieoe of the anterior
margin of the lip, 4 aofclier, mn from the side, 5 poliinia ; ail enlarged.
27. Dendbobiüít Faemeri, Past. Mag. Bot. XV (with
p. 104, No. 579.
J . ) ; Fl. Gard. lU,
Stems clavate, boldly 4- 5-anglcd, erect; the base slender, the upper part from "75
to 1 in. in diameter; length 6 to 12 or even 18 in. Leaves two or three, sub-terminal,
coriaceous, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, acute, the base slightly nan-owed ; length
3'5 to 8 in., breadth 1-2 to 2'2 in. Raceme sub-tenninal, decurved and pendulous,
much longer than the leaves, laxly many-flowered ; the peduncle with imbricate bracts
a t the base and several scattered below the flowers. Flowers 2 in. across ; Jloral bract
broad, -25 to -3 in. long, very much shorter than the stalk of tho ovary. Sepals ovateoblong.
Petals much broader than the sepals. Lip orbiculai- with lateral inflexed folds,
pubescent, the margin ei-ose, the base shortly clawed. Column short, its foot also short;
liwntum short, rounded. "Walp. Ann. VI, 306; Flores des Seires, VII, t. 741; Jennings'
Orchids, t. XXIV; Veitch Man. Dendi-ob. 42, with fiq.-, Hook. fil. Fl. Br. Ind. V, 750.
D. palpebrae, Ann. Bot. Gard. Cale., Vol. V, pt. 1, t. 22. D. densiflorum, var. alba,
Hegel Gai-tcn.flora, t. 595; var. Farmeri, Hegel, Garten-flora, t. 78S ; var. albo-lutea, Bot.
Mag., t. 5780. D. thyrsiflorum, Regel, Garten-flora, t. 1021.
Sikkim; at elevations of fi-om 1,000 to 3,000 feet, Pantling No. 116; in flower
during April and May. Also along the base of the outer range, on sài trees. Westward
to Nepal and eastwards to Assam and the Khasia Hills; also in Bm-mah.
In Sikkim the coloming of the flowers in this species is pretty constant. The
sepals and petals when they first expand are of a pale mauve which gradually changes,
in the course of a few days, to pure white. The lip is always of a deep rich yellow,
paling towards the margins, and the actual margin is usually white. To this change
of coloui- in the same individual flower is no doubt due much of the confusion which
has occurred as regards the identity of this plant; individuals in the stage in which
the sepals and petals are white having been mistaken for B. thyrsijlonim, Reichb. fil.—
a Burmese plant which appears to be a form of D. densiflorum, of which it has the
cone-sha^xid raceme (while in bud), and the very large convolute floral bracts, but
differing in having more slender, less boldly-angled, stems, and a white perianth with
a yellow lip. D. Farmeri has also been confused with the closely allied D. palpebrae,
Lindl. (also a Burmese species), described in Past. Fl. Gai-d. I, 48, and in Veitch Man-
Ann. Eoy. Bot. Gard., Calcutta, Vol. Tin.